City of Truro
Gordon and the Famous Visitor |last_appearance= Duck and the Diesel Engine Flash Bang Wallop! |creator(s)= Rev. W. Awdry |name=City of Truro |nicknames= The Famous Visitor |gender=Male |country_of_origin= England |affiliation=* National Railway Museum * Duck |basis=[[:Wikipedia:GWR 3700 Class 3440 City of Truro|GWR 3700 Class No.3440 ''City of Truro]] |gauge= |power_type=Steam |vehicle=Locomotive |type=Tender engine |configuration=4-4-0 |wheels=14 |top_speed=100 mph |designer(s)=George Jackson Churchward |builder(s)=Swindon Works |year_built=April 1903 |year_rebuilt=1911 and 1915 |retired=1931 and 1961 |number= * 3440 * 3717 |railway= * Great Western Railway * British Railways |owner(s)=National Railway Museum }} City of Truro is a famous tender engine from the Great Western Railway, who once visited the Island of Sodor. He is believed to be the first engine in the world to attain the speed of 100 mph. Biography ''The Railway Series'' City of Truro first appeared in Duck and the Diesel Engine when the Railway Society visited. Duck, although shy at first, quickly befriended him, as the two were both Great Western. Duck talks Great Western all night with City of Truro, which makes Duck very proud of his Great Western ancestry, much to the annoyance of Gordon. Gordon was jealous of City of Truro's record and attempted to go as fast as him, only to have his dome blown off on the Viaduct. When Duck crashed into the barber shop, Sir Topham Hatt said he would inform City of Truro of Duck's bravery and how he and his crew managed to prevent a serious accident. City of Truro was later referenced in Thomas and the Great Railway Show as being a member of the National Railway Museum. ''Thomas & Friends'' City of Truro also appeared in the third series episode Gordon and the Famous Visitor. His name was not mentioned (though it appeared on a banner and on his nameplate) and he did not speak, but, according to Duck, he is a celebrity. The engines believe that the engine is conceited due to his high status, however, they learnt that he was not conceited at all and he enjoyed talking to the engines till long after the stars came out. Just like in the Railway Series, Gordon was jealous of City of Truro and tried to beat his speed record, only to have his dome blown off. In the eighth series, a photograph of City of Truro appears inside the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's private coaches. In the sixteenth series, a photograph of City of Truro also appears in "Great Railways", a book of famous railway engines. Personality City of Truro and Duck got on very well during his stay on Sodor, talking about their Great Western heritage and ways. He sparked jealousy within Gordon, and gave him ambition to break City of Truro's record but to no avail. In addition, Edward and Duck described him as "the finest engine in the world". Technical Details Real-life History City of Truro is based on the real locomotive of the same name, built in 1903 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon Works, to a design by George Jackson Churchward. Debatably, City of Truro broke the 100mph speed barrier for steam railways in 1904, the year after it was introduced. However, Flying Scotsman was the first steam engine to attain the speed of 100 mph that was officially recorded. On September 8th, 1991, City of Truro attended the opening of the line to Lydney Lakeside with Wilbert. It went on static display at the National Railway Museum following a tube failure in February 2013. In November 2015, it was moved to Steam Museum in Swindon, Wiltshire. For more information - see here. File:CityofTruro.jpg|The real City of Truro File:CityofTruro2013.jpg|City of Truro on display at the National Railway Museum in 2013 Livery In both the Railway Series and television series, City of Truro is painted in his original Great Western Railway green livery with orange and black lining and dark red/brown frames. He also has a copper-capped chimney (plain black in the television series), a brass safety valve bonnet (grey in magazine illustrations) and the early-1900s GWR monogram on his tender. The livery closely resembles that worn by the real City of Truro, which is currently painted in the later GWR green livery with black frames, "Great Western" lettering and garter crest. Appearances Railway Series= and A Close Shave * 'Thomas and the Great Railway Show' - Museum-Piece Companion volumes * '''1972' - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet * 1976 - Famous Engines * 1979 - Annual * 1980 - Annual * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection }}|-|Television Series= ''Thomas & Friends * 'Series 3' - Gordon and the Famous Visitor * 'Series 8' - Edward the Great * 'Series 9' - Thomas and the Toy Shop * 'Series 16' - Flash Bang Wallop! City of Truro's scrapped model appeared frequently between the fifth and ninth series. It also appeared in the 2000 movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad. |-|Other Media= Books * '''1992' - Gordon and the Famous Visitor * 1994 - The Adventures of Thomas Magazine Stories * 2007 - Surprise Visitor * 2010 - Surprise Visitor * 2012 - City of Truro Video Games * 2008 - Begins Educational Learning Trivia * City of Truro is the first real engine to appear in both the Railway Series and the television series. * Although he did not appear with a face in television series, he was portrayed with a face in Famous Engines, the 1980 annual and the magazine story, Surprise Visitor, later republished as "City of Truro". * Although City of Truro's name was never mentioned in the television series, it is seen on the banner at Tidmouth Sheds and his nameplate. * City of Truro was given the name "セレブリティー" in Japan. * He is the only surviving member of his class. Merchandise ERTL Thomas Engine Collection Series Quotes References de:City of Truro es:La Ciudad de Truro he:סיטי אוף טרורו ja:セレブリティー pl:City of Truro ru:Город Труро Category:Steam locomotives Category:Tender engines Category:4-4-0 Category:National Railway Museum Category:Other railways Category:Real Engines Category:The Mainland Category:The Railway Series characters Category:Thomas & Friends characters Category:Awdry-created characters Category:Male characters Category:Standard gauge Category:Visitors